Reason online: The Science of Libertarianism

[Jocassee]

I believe this article describes the APS mentality to a T. Which is a Good Thing.

The researchers found that libertarians dramatically outscored liberals and conservatives when it came to putting a high value on both economic and lifestyle liberty. Most dishearteningly, liberals scored two full standard deviations below libertarians on economic liberty.

The researchers report that libertarians “score high individualism, low on collectivism, and low on all other traits that involved bonding with, loving, or feeling a sense of common identity with others.”

And the most important conclusion of the article:

Haidt fails to discuss what is probably the most important and intriguing fact about libertarian morality. It changed history by enabling at least a portion of humanity to escape our natural state of abject poverty. Libertarian morality, by rising above and rejecting primitive moralities embodied in the universalist collectivism of left-liberals and the tribalist collectivism of conservatives, made the rule of law, freedom of speech, religious tolerance, and modern prosperity possible. Liberals and conservatives may love people more than do libertarians, but love of liberty is what leads to true moral and economic progress.

http://reason.com/archives/2010/11/02/the-science-of-libertarian/1

[AZRedhawk44]

The researchers report that libertarians “score high individualism, low on collectivism, and low on all other traits that involved bonding with, loving, or feeling a sense of common identity with others.”

Similar to Ayn Rand's concept of love in Objectivism.

Love is earned.  It is not unconditional.

I don't want to love/bond/respect people that are unworthy of my love/bond/respect.  As such, I freely choose my degree of association (or lack of association) with them.

However, the people that I DO love/bond/respect end up earning one of the most devoted friends they can get.  And vice-versa.

The above quote is accurate, but I wonder if the predominantly liberal folks who comprise the modern psychiatric community might be tempted to say that libertarians are dysfunctional: Reading an "inability" where there is actually a lack of interest or motivation.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Neat article.

The researchers report that libertarians “score high individualism, low on collectivism, and low on all other traits that involved bonding with, loving, or feeling a sense of common identity with others.”

That's me all over. 

On the Different Types of Love scale, it turns out that libertarian independence from others is associated with weaker feelings of love than liberals or conservatives have for friends, family, romantic partners, and generic others.

Well, yes. I hate clingy people, and strive to never be one. That's what I'd call a parasitic relationship. And symbiotic relationships are just creepy.

[Ned Hamford]

And symbiotic relationships are just creepy.

:Ned and his GF both turn to glare at Zardozimo in unison:

  

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

:Ned and his GF both turn to glare at Zardozimo in unison:

  

Set phasers to shun!

[MicroBalrog]

They needed to do research to prove whether libertarians love freedom?

[MicroBalrog]

Also, I think someone should differentiate - how?  -between people who are only politically libertarians and what I would call 'holistic' libertarians - people who are guided by a libertarian moral outlook in their personal life as well.

I think the above research applies more to the latter than the former.